San Francisco 49ers

Projected Cap Space: $36.8 million

Draft Picks: 7

• 1st (No. 27)
• 2nd (No. 58)
• 3rd (No. 92)
• 4th (No. 127)
• 4th (No. 133, comp)
• 4th (No. 138, comp)
• 5th (No. 171, comp)

Notable Free Agents: 

• WR Jauan Jennings
• DE Yetur Gross-Matos
• G Spencer Burford
• RB Brian Robinson
• WR Kendrick Bourne
• K Eddy Pineiro
• S Jason Pinnock
• OL Ben Bartch
• DT Jordan Elliott
• DT Kevin Givens
• LB Luke Gifford
• P Thomas Morstead
• DE Sam Okuayinonu (RFA)
• DT Kalia Davis (RFA)
• TE Jake Tonges (RFA)

Top Three Needs

1 – Wide Receiver

Last year, the 49ers dealt with the worst receiving corps HC Kyle Shanahan has put on the field since probably the beginning of his San Francisco tenure. The leading wideout was Jennings with 55 catches, 643 yards and 10 touchdowns. It was the second straight strong season for the former undrafted free agent, but there’s a reason the 49ers have been hesitant to invest too much in a long-term deal for him. Jennings is a quality possession receiver who blocks well and sets a physical tone for the offense, but he’s not particularly dynamic.

There was hope that former first-round WR Ricky Pearsall would break out in his second season, and there were flashes. In the nine games Pearsall played, he had 528 yards. Staying healthy continues to be a big challenge for Pearsall, though. San Francisco relied on journeymen like Bourne and WR Demarcus Robinson to fill out the room as injuries hit. And of course, the 49ers never got the return from WR Brandon Aiyuk that they expected. 

Aiyuk will be cut this year. The future of Jennings and Bourne depends not just on the kind of market they find in free agency, but whether or not the 49ers can upgrade. The biggest priority for the 49ers this offseason has to be getting younger, faster and more dynamic on offense. 

2 – Offensive Tackle

Before yesterday, this segment was primarily dedicated to the rest of the 49ers’ starting five. Left guard was a revolving door due to injuries and both Burford and Bartch, the top two options going into last year, are on expiring contracts. Right guard is locked down with Dominick Puni, but both C Jake Brendel (33) and RT Colton McKivitz (30) are getting up there in age. Adding competition to try and push both while guarding against any decline feels prudent. 

Left tackle was thought to be locked up with Trent Williams coming back for another season. At worst, Williams was 95 percent of his peak last year when he was 37, and he wasted no time after the season making it clear he felt like he had a lot of gas in the tank. But Tuesday’s news that the 49ers would cut Williams absent an agreement on a new contract landed like a sledgehammer. We’ve seen the 49ers play with just about every key player on offense for stretches, and you can make a strong case that Williams is the most irreplaceable. 

Yet the 49ers might find themselves needing to try this year. Last year, San Francisco had to let OT Jaylon Moore, a player they had groomed as a potential Williams replacement for years, leave in free agency because the clock ran out on his contract and Williams was still going. Their current contingency is Austen Pleasants, a longtime practice squad lineman who has one start in his whole career. It’s fair to call this situation dire. 

3 – Defensive Tackle

While the defense, not the offense, was the biggest drag on the 2025 49ers, that side of the ball should get a huge lift without Shanahan or GM John Lynch lifting a finger. They’ll add DE Nick Bosa and LB Fred Warner back healthy, two of the best at their respective positions with a combined five first-team All-Pros and nine Pro Bowl selections. They’ll also have a bunch of young starters with a year of valuable experience under their belts, guys like DE Mykel Williams, DT Alfred Collins, CB Upton Stout, DT CJ West, S Marques Sigle and more.  

The 49ers would be realistic in expecting a collective leap forward from the defense as young players develop. However, it’s an inconvenient reality that individual player progression is not always linear. That could prompt the 49ers to seek out a couple of veterans as targeted insurance policies, and they’re most exposed at defensive tackle. Collins and West are the duo of the future, but with a few veterans on expiring contracts, it’s worth pursuing a player or two who can protect San Francisco if Collins and West aren’t ready to be the duo of the present. 

There’s also a case to be made for the 49ers to chase a big fish at defensive tackle, and not just to take pressure off Collins and West. San Francisco rotates its defensive linemen as heavily as any team to keep fresh waves going after offenses. They could also use a dynamic rusher who can draw attention away from Bosa and capitalize on the matchups they get when Bosa is doubled. 

One Big Question

Can the 49ers start finding the next generation of elite skill talent? 

The 49ers went 12-5 last season and finished top ten in both scoring and total offense. Considering everything they had to deal with, that performance should have gotten Shanahan more serious consideration for Coach of the Year. There was the injury to QB Brock Purdy which backup QB Mac Jones helped steer the team through. The 49ers also didn’t have Aiyuk for the whole year and lost TE George Kittle a couple of times, including to a torn Achilles in January that will impact his 2026 season. 

But that brings up an uncomfortable reality for the 49ers. The core of the offense that Shanahan has terrorized the league with for several years now is starting to break down. With no Aiyuk and no Deebo Samuel, traded last offseason, and with the 32-year-old Kittle limited to 11 games, the entire 49ers offense was channeled through RB Christian McCaffrey. He had a remarkable year, flirting with the second 1,000/1,000 season of his career. He was San Francisco’s best and most reliable passing target, vacuuming up 102 catches for 924 yards and seven touchdowns.

Yet it was a grind. McCaffrey’s 413 total touches led the NFL by a healthy margin and set a new career-high. Conversely, his 5.1 yards per touch was a career low, setting aside a 2020 season in which he played just three games. That injury history is something the 49ers have to be aware of, especially as McCaffrey turns 30 in June. Getting more players San Francisco can rely on in the passing game is a way to take the burden off McCaffrey and benefit the offense as a whole.